


NBD

by seven league boots (memphis)



Series: Blue Pencils [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (I love that tag I really do), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Established Relationship, Humor, Implied past Keith/OMC, Implied/Reference Suicide Attempt, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Post-Season 4, Romance, Smut, Snarky Marmora OCs, implied Shay/Hunk - Freeform, space booze
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-18 01:46:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13671714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/memphis/pseuds/seven%20league%20boots
Summary: Keith had a bad day. Everyone keeps making a bigger deal about it than they need to. From his fellow Blades, Kolivan, even his boyfriend Lance—they just can't seem to let it go.Really, the only person that's treating him "normally" is Lotor, which is just weird, right?There's something wrong here, a voice keeps telling him.





	1. 1. Watching as the fire starts

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, welcome to Keith's POV of everything that's happened after the last installment. Thank you for joining me. I'm trying out posting this in chapters to help keep me on pace. (Shouldn't be more than 3-4 in total). Also preemptively rating this Explicit because it will get smuttier as we go along.
> 
> If you're wondering who the heck these OCs are or what's happened to lead into this, read [LDR](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12360465), [PDA](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12678189) and at least the last half of [TMI](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13588128).
> 
> I've stolen slang and terminology from Farscape & The Legion of Super-Heroes, and stuff I remember from AP Bio because I love taxonomy. Also sometimes I make random anagrams when I can't think of anything good.

**1**

 

 

Keith is angry.

Kolivan is talking and Keith honestly isn't listening to a word he's saying. He's slightly angry at Kolivan, for starters. His gaze wanders and he looks to the side of the room where Holson is standing with his arms crossed. Keith gives him a good glare and Holson flinches but resumes a mask of indifference.

He's _really_ angry at Holson. Even more than he's angry at Kolivan.

"Keith?" Kolivan says.

"Yeah?"

"So you agree?"

"Sure," Keith says. It's usually a good idea to agree with Kolivan and then apologize later. God, he is so _angry_ right now. He really can't focus on much else.

"It will only be temporary. One to two spicolian movements, we will reevaluate as you wish."

"It'll help Keith, I promise," Holson says.

Keith chuffs at him. "Did I _ask_ you?"

Kolivan is suddenly standing between them, hands up, as if to stop a potential fight. Holson doesn't respond, looking at him with concern in his eyes.

He wants to tear out those eyes and stomp on them 12 times. Keith settles for gripping the chair hard enough that his knuckles go white.

"Keith, gather whatever things you would like to take, and meet with me in the hangar in no more than twenty dobashes. I will take you there in my personal ship."

"Okay," Keith says, still giving Holson a righteous glaring that has now turned into a full-on scowl with his mouth pulled shut. Holson finally returns his glare, but it's half-hearted.

It only makes Keith impossibly angrier at him.

"If we leave on the schedule I have provided the Altean advisor, we should reach the Castle-ship in only two vargas."

"Fine by me," Keith spits out and kicks his chair down, stomping out of Kolivan's office and heading directly to his room in the barracks.

There isn't much to pack: first he grabs his civvies, then goes to his weapons rack for three throwing daggers and an ornate-handled short-sword he was able to talk G'Ardo into letting him have from the armory. Keith's still in uniform so he has his luxite blade on him, mentally checking that off of his list of important things.

Stopping at his nightstand, he grabs the book he's currently working his way through, a collection of Galra folktales that Wolla recommended for him to practice reading. Keith fills a small pouch from his stash of blue stuff, and peels off a sliver of raw tannot root that Ilonya gifted him the last time they had a good spar. He picks up the bottle of silverale that he acquired from a supply run.

Keith's grown more fond of the taste over time, no longer a bitter sting. Now it tastes like first kisses and salt-sweet fingers in his mouth. Firm hands, clever teeth and well-worn denim.

Keith smiles filling a flask to take along, the aroma hitting his nose and bringing him back.

He picks up the plush toy of _Loverboy Lance_ ™ that he keeps under his pillow, and tosses it in his bag. Too many people know how to hack door locks, and would love to pull a prank like hiding it or clawing it up and making it smell funny. _Certain_ Blades get really wild-eyed about the fact that it squeaks.

Okay, only _one_ Blade acts like an overgrown house cat around it. Keith feels his anger flare up again.

Keith contemplates his communicator, wonders if he should tell Lance he's on his way. Maybe it'd be nice to surprise him this time. Keith decides to leave it with Jaussey, so he doesn't fret himself silly and can call him or whatever.

Fortunately, Keith doesn't have go looking for him because when he opens his door Jaussey is standing there and immediately hugs him.

"Little kit, take care."

Keith sighs, shaking him off after a few seconds and hands him the communicator with a shrug. "Just because I figure you'd want to call me or something."

Jaussey nods and says something along the lines of calling him after a few quintants. Maybe it's two quintants. He's not really paying attention as he stomps off towards the hangar with Jaussey escorting him, babbling about something or another.

"Not Holson," Keith interrupts.

"Eh?"

"He's not allowed to call me."

That quiets Jaussey for the remainder of their walk. 

Keith endures another round of assorted hugs, handshakes, and firm shoulder claps from other Blades that oh-so-conveniently are gathered around Kolivan's ship. Keith wants to snarl at Jaussey, but he just doesn't have the energy, _especially_ after Bruiser Boggis nearly breaks his damn hand shaking it too firmly.

One final mother-hen-Jaussey-hug, and he's sitting in the passenger seat of Kolivan's ship, feeling that familiar pull in his stomach as they take off.

"I miss flying," Keith mumbles. Kolivan makes a startled sound.

"Sorry," Keith says on reflex. "Didn't mean to break your concentration."

Kolivan takes in a deep breath. He's doing that weird tick-counting thing again. Keith wonders if he's back up on his ten-tick list.

"I do not keep a ledger of Blades requiring more than five ticks."

Damn, he must have said the last part out loud. Or Kolivan can read minds. He hopes not, Lance is naked a lot in there.

"I'm having a weird fucking day," he says.

"One would not expect today to be easy or routine for you."

Keith twists his mouth, not knowing how to respond. He's resigned himself to the fact that Lance and Kolivan will have this strange, easy friendship and he'll never have to be stressed out the way Keith is.

For him, talking to Kolivan is like pulling teeth and treading on broken glass at the same time. No amount of explanations or advice Lance gives seems to help Keith understand him any better.

_"He's actually really funny, but he just doesn't 'suffer fools gladly', as my mom would say."_

"Do you remember the Monarchist Directive?" Kolivan interrupts his thoughts.

"The Blade of Marmora is on standing orders to capture, incapacitate, or kill any member of Zarkon's family or inner circle on sight," Keith recites.

"Based on information I've received from both the resistance leaders, and the Altean Princess, it has been temporarily suspended... for the _Prodigal_." Kolivan lets a little emotion seep into his voice.

If there's one thing he and Kolivan are in agreement about, besides their mutual fondness of Lance, it's their feelings towards _that_ particular Galra.

Keith sucks his teeth. "Seriously?"

"I announced it today at the morning briefing, but you were being evaluated at the time. I expected you had not heard about it."

"I did not. I would've brought more weapons with me," Keith bites his cheek, his answer definitely not in line with what Kolivan just told him. "Or less."

"More," Kolivan says, "I would argue more would be better."

"So you hate this as much as I do?"

Kolivan doesn't answer at first, just pushes the controls forward to accelerate with the smallest smile fleeting across his face.

"Accidents happen, don't they?"

Keith almost feels his anger subside. Then there's the familiar rumble of a wormhole bursting open.

 

**

 

Keith's anger is now anxiousness, and a desire to get as quickly off the ship as possible. He barely spares a glance at Coran or Kolivan as they meet in the hangar. He grabs his bag and takes off, heading towards the dormitories.

His first stop is the door of his room. Or is it his old room? He isn't sure he even wants to go in and see it empty and dark and cold. Lance's room tempts him far more, but just for the sake of it, he punches in his old code.

The door doesn't move. He tries two of his backups with no response. He feels panicked now, stepping over to Lance's room and punching in 2-8-0-7. It doesn't move. "Frell," he whispers and tries 2-3-1-0, hoping that not all the door codes were reset.

The door opens, Keith's heart slows down and he runs inside, shutting the door behind him and taking in a deep breath.

Lance's room can appear to be cluttered, but there's a method in his madness. He builds little paths around his room through the piles of collected treasures, and stacks of crates he uses as makeshift furniture.  Keith easily weaves through to Lance's bed, his clothes are laid out neatly for him awaiting a return. He must be out flying Red or on a Voltron coalition mission. Explains why only Coran greeted him and Kolivan at the hangar.

Keith suddenly feels the itch to get out of his Marmora uniform as quickly as possible, stripping down to just his black boxer-briefs. Instead of his own clothes, he opts to pick up Lance's blue baseball shirt instead. It's freshly laundered and feels warm as he slips it on. He also picks up Lance's jacket and smells the collar, where the ends of his hair gather so it smells like Lance's otherworldly botanical shampoo as well as his own familiar scent.

Keith drops his bag on the floor near the foot of the bed, still holding the jacket close. His eyes trail over the assortment of photographs Lance has displayed along the wall. They range from selfies, to pictures of Lance with the other paladins, missions and liberated aliens he recognizes, and newer ones he doesn't.

There are photos of Lance from when he visited the Marmora base, Keith can't help but chuckle at the one of him on top of Boggis' shoulders. He'd somehow convinced Boggis to let him up so he could be 'the tallest Paladin in the universe', but then panicked when Boggis told him he'd have to figure out his own way down.

It took the combined efforts of the second-two tallest Blades to help him get down without breaking something. Kolivan and... Holson.

Keith quickly moves closer to the head of Lance's bed, near the pillows where he must look right before he falls asleep. The pictures there start to take on a _rather_ specific theme.

Him and Lance, as he's pulled in close for a selfie, another for a kiss on the cheek. Pictures of him around the castle, smiling or just standing with his arms crossed, or fighting with the training drones.

There's definitely ones he doesn't recognize that Lance must have put up in his absence.  Candids of him eating, staring at nothing in particular, or nodding off in the lounge. At least three of them of just him from behind in his regular clothes, one in the Paladin armor, and one bending over in the Marmora suit.

"Obvious much, Lance?" Keith muses.

There's close-up one of him sleeping, it must have been taken from Lance's perspective because he can see his cheek resting on Lance's chest. Keith feels his heart pull and he holds Lance's jacket closer, letting his head fall on a pillow and his eyes slip shut.

 

**

 

He wakes up when the door opens and the light goes on. He doesn't turn around though, keeping his eyes closed, feeling giddy and excited.

The light turns off almost immediately.

Okay, maybe Lance will just curl up next to him and he can surprise him and kiss him silly while they spoon.

Footsteps move carefully across the room, towards the bathroom, he hears the familiar sound of pieces of Paladin armor being disconnected from a flight suit and then dropping to the floor. The sink starts running, and he hears a deep sigh.

Keith stays in the bed waiting, and waiting, and _waiting_ until he can't take it anymore. He cracks open an eye and sees the light from Lance's bathroom, door slightly ajar. He pads across the room to open the door and lean against the jamb.

Lance is at the mirror, still dressed in his flight suit with his bayard on his hip, carefully peeling off a face mask, and making disgusted faces in the mirror at the gunk that sloughs off.

"How long have I been out?" Keith asks, smiling and catching Lance's gaze in the mirror. "Did I sleep through the night cycle?"

Lance shakes his head, "No, it's still afternoon."

"You're doing a face mask in the middle of the day now?"

Lance takes in a deep breath. "We're all on a new schedule," he finally finishes peeling the last of it off, rinsing his face.

Keith bites his bottom lip, "So, um, hi?" he sways against the doorway coyly.

Lance looks up, seeing him in the reflection of the mirror. His expression is strangely... neutral? As if Keith had just told him that water was wet, and birds could fly.

Lance turns, crossing his arms over his chest. "Hi."

Keith frowns. "You don't seem surprised to see me... I'm guessing your best pal Kolivan told you I was coming?"

Lance looks confused. "Keith, of course I knew you were coming, why wouldn't I have?"

"Well? Are you, not happy to see me or something?" Keith pouts more profusely, making sure Lance can see his bottom lip jutting out.

It's purely manipulative, and if Keith wasn't feeling so utterly needy and emotionally shattered? He _might_ feel bad about how obvious he's playing to what he knows Lance likes.

"Fuck..." Lance runs a hand down his face. " _Fuck_ , you look really cute right now."

Keith smiles, letting his arms drop and the extra length of Lance's shirt sleeves cover his hands almost to the fingertips. "Thanks. You look amazing," Keith reaches up to tuck some of his hair behind his ear, "I love how you look in that black skintight–"

"Damn it!" Lance kicks the ground, pacing around the bathroom. "I don't even know how to have this conversation with you, let alone how to _start_ it," he groans, stopping to look at Keith again and rubbing his face some more. "Fuck, you look so _fucking_ cute it's messing with me!"

"That's a bad thing?" Keith asks, leaning his head against the wall, biting his lip again.

Lance taps his foot. "We have to have a really, really shitty conversation, Keith. We can put it off for now but it's going to happen, okay?"

Keith closes his eyes, his façade drops for a moment and his voice shakes. "Okay," he sucks in a breath and beckons Lance towards him with a finger and a grin. "C'mere, darlin'," he drawls.

"Fuck, and that is not fair," Lance rushes forward at the rare sound of Keith's pet name for him. He's all hands tugging and tongue pushing into his mouthing Keith steps back towards the bed. Keith laughs against his mouth and nearly stumbles on a piece of discarded armor.

Lance lifts Keith up easily and carries him, kissing him deeper and _deeper_. Keith is puling at Lance's flight suit and is placed carefully on the bed, Lance sitting up to look down at him. Keith feels dazed and warm and he smiles up at Lance.

"God damn, you look so good," Lance says, tugging at the zipper of his suit.

"Mmm, I needed this."

Lance pauses, "Huh."

"What?"

"This is what you needed," he stops short of undoing most of his flight suit, only exposing the left side of his chest and his lovely collarbones, "even after?"

"After not seeing you for all these stupid quintants, weeks, _however_ long it's been? I don't even care!" Keith laughs. "Of course I need this! I need my amazing boyfriend, and him fucking me like _crazy_."

Lance shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You need–but is it what you want? I can't–" he turns, looking away from Keith and at his wall of photos, "I don't know if you can tell me that it's what you want, so we should stop."

Keith scoffs, pawing at him not caring how desperate he appears anymore, "Lance! I _want_ this! I want you! Take care of me, make me feel good and safe and–"

Lance shakes his head. "Well then I'm stopping. For me."

"Why?" Keith whines.

"Because I have to have a really fucking difficult and scary conversation with my boyfriend, and it's _stressing_ me out, and sex is only going to make me more stressed out and–"

"Why are you talking about me like I'm not here?"

"Why are you _acting_ like you're not here?!" Lance pulls at his hair. "Keith, I don't know how much of this is you blocking things out on purpose, or if you really aren't aware of what you're doing or saying."

Keith loses focus for a moment, getting quiet. His eyes dart all around Lance. "You still have your bayard."

Lance squeezes his eyes shut, opening them again as a tear threatens to drop down. "Yeah, there's a new rule about that. You have to have it with you, all the time," Lance rubs his eye.

"Any other rules I should know about?"

"There are... Shiro should be up around now, you can go ask him. I'm sure he'll be glad to see you."

"Not yet," Keith says, turning away, curling up on his side, his back to the wall.

"Keith?"

"I know what I'm doing and what I'm saying, Lance. I just can't yet, can we please just–I just want it to be you and me and no one else right now. I've been inside my own head for way too damn long. I need a break."

Lance maneuvers around Keith so he can lie next to him, cupping his face in his hands. "Yeah, I get that right now."

 

**

 

It's right before dinner when Keith falls apart. He's a little upset he couldn't hold it in for more than a few measly hours of whispered conversation and trite little pieces of small talk.

Nothing sets it off in particular. He's just sitting down on the end of Lance's bed, reading while Lance is tying his shoes. He's relinquished Lance's shirt and changed into his normal clothes.

"I'll just grab two plates and come right back," Lance says quietly.

"Sounds good," Keith says as he turns the page.

Lance kisses his cheek. He smiles at Keith and something inside him just _snaps_. Keith drops his book and starts crying.

The longest, hardest conversation he's ever had starts there. 

 

**

 

Keith fades in and out, snippets of their conversation draw his attention, but he can't put all the pieces together in context. It's just a seesaw of back and forth after a while, he's not even sure what were the questions and what are the answers.

 

**

 

 

Kolivan pulled the flight logs.

 

I had to do something.

 

What were you thinking?

 

Listened to you all celebrating as I flew back. 

 

How long did you listen?

 

Muted the comm because I couldn't stop crying.

 

 

I knew something was wrong when I saw you, it scared me.

 

I couldn't stop.

 

You were just so empty and hollow and I didn't know what I did but–

 

Sometimes I wonder if I really died.

 

I just wanted to unravel everything and start again.

 

I feel like I'm not even here.

 

How could it have been different?

 

I keep asking myself that.

 

That's what's so frustrating!

 

It was the choice I made, I didn't care if it was wrong.

 

I don't know if there was a right one.

 

I don't want you to be scared.

 

I wasn't there with you.

 

I wish I didn't need you to tell me to slow down and think, but I _do_.

 

It's okay to need people.

 

**

 

Keith comes back to himself at the familiarity of the last thing he remembers Lance saying, laughs bittersweet as he pulls his flask out, "It's okay to want to be loved."

Lance shakes his head, "Keith no, I can't. There's a rule."

Keith shoots back a mouthful of silverale. "Augh, there's the _burn_."

Lance sighs. "So, are we officially calling a time-out on this conversation?"

Keith takes another drink. "Frell, I hope so. I'm gonna lose my voice."

Lance grabs the flask, taking a quick sip for himself. "Fuck, I still think I hate this stuff. Okay, temporary reprieve from heavy fucking emotional baggage until tomorrow night, and don't give me that look."

"What look?"

"That's an adorable Keith-wants-Lance-to-forget-why-he's-mad-look. Also you are purposefully playing with your mouth like a goddamn porn star and giving me sexy-deep-Keith-needs-a-good-lay-voice."

"Am not," Keith says, his tongue darting in and out again, "my lips are dry. But go on with the sexy deep Keith-stuff. I like how that sounds."

Lance holds up the flask. "Tomorrow night, we pick up where we left off. Then you can have this back," he tosses it behind some crates, "if we can find it."

Keith rolls his head back. "Fine. Tell me all about all these new rules so I can start breaking them on purpose."

Lance sits down next to him, arm around his shoulder and starts counting them off. "Rule number one, always have your bayard or a weapon on you at all times."

"Aw, I don't wanna break that one," Keith pouts. Lance nips his lip, _finally_ giving him the quick bite-kiss he wants.

"Rule two, no mind-altering or drowsy-making substances."

"Nice, broke that one."

"Rule three, no skipping meals or getting less than eight vargas of sleep."

"Are you all in training or something?" Keith asks.

"No, we're just all on a rotation, so we can't uhh, deviate too much."

"Is that all?"

Lance takes a deep breath. "Rule four, someone has to be with _him_ at all times."

"Him?"

Lance pulls Keith up to stand. He makes sure his bayard is on his hip, and nudges Keith to grab his blade. "Let's go see Shiro, and steal some leftovers."

 

**

 

Shiro's hugs are the same as Keith remembered. He'd never admit it, but they're similar to Jaussey's hugs in that he can expect a once over and lots of questions: like how he's feeling, what hurts where, is that a new scar, are you biting your lips again or is it just the dry air on the Marmora base?

Keith smiles and hugs him back, allows himself to be fussed over, because then Shiro starts talking about how proud and brave and strong he is. Keith feels his eyes start to well up again, when an unwelcome voice breaks his concentration and brings him back to where he was when he kicked his day off...

"Hey! He isn't supposed to be here! I told you they're under orders to _murder_ me on sight!"

...Very, _very_ angry.

Lotor points right at Keith, "I'm not safe here if there's a-a _Blade_ of Marmora!"

"He's not here to _murder_ you, drama queen," Lance rolls his eyes.

"Lance," Shiro scolds.

"Sorry, your royal highness, Lotor: Queen of Drama. May your reign be fruitful with delusion and hysteria," Lance gives him a sardonic half-bow.

" _Lance_ ," Shiro glares at him. Keith can't help but burst out laughing.

"What? It's funny! But for your information, we stopped it. Well, we _paused_ it."

Lotor raises an eyebrow.

"Wait, so that really was a thing?" Lance's eyes are wide.

"That's what I heard, the Monarchist Directive has been temporarily lifted for the _Prodigal_."

"Hrm," Lotor taps a finger to his chin.

"He's the Prodigal," Keith stage whispers to Shiro.

"... Why does your breath smell like whiskey?" Shiro says as he sips from his oversized '#1 Space Dad' mug that one of the paladins must have made him.

Lance immediately grabs Keith by the shoulders and shuffles him off towards the kitchens. "We're gonna grab some leftovers, bye Shiro! Bye Prom-diggle!"

 

**

 

"So that's the deal? Everyone's on red alert because he's what, visiting?" Keith asks in-between bites of the re-heated masterpiece that Hunk must have created for them.

Lance makes a face. "Allura says there's this thing about, political asylum."

"No."

"Yeah, he's kind of... living here?"

"Nooo."

"I mean as long as his intel keeps checking out, and it _has_ , he's protected by some ancient Altean charters."

"No! God damn it, no!"

"It's like an intergalactic Geneva convention-thing."

"Frell, of course," Keith drops his head on the table. "So you have to guard him _all_ the time?"

Lance nods. "Shiro is usually off-kilter with his sleep anyhow, so he takes the first half of the night shift and keeps watch until Lotor's asleep. Coran naturally wakes up way too early, so he sends Shiro to bed, and takes over until the actual morning cycle. Then me, Hunk, Pidge and Allura meet up at breakfast, and divvy up the rest of the day. We usually end up with around four or five vargas of Lotor-sitting each."

"Sounds like you've got a good system in place," Keith says as he resumes poking at his food, his appetite suddenly dulled.

"Yeah, only Allura usually pulls him into a coalition meeting at some random point, which is _annoying_."

"Why's that?" Keith says sneaking food from Lance's plate, he swears it suddenly tastes better.

"Well, because _somebody_ made me second-in-command of Voltron before they bounced, so I end up getting dragged along."

"What idiot would go and do a dumb thing like that?"

"Hey! I'm currently dating that idiot."

Keith quirks his mouth. "You could do better."

"Huh, you really think? Maybe someday I could even end up dating someone in the Blade of Marmora? That human Blade they have is like, ridiculously hot," Lance puts his hand on his cheek, "think he'd ever go for guy like me?"

_If he had any sense, he'd run away and marry you._

Keith smiles, about to respond and–

_Too bad he's senseless now._

_He's numb._

"Keith?"

"Sorry," Keith shakes off the voice rattling around his head, "I just kinda blanked out there. We were flirting and you were being adorable, yeah? Should we continue from there, or can we just go to back to your room and make out until we fall asleep?"

"Ah, can't help it when you sweet talk me like that, babe."

 

**

 

"Today was a hard day," Keith says as he puts his hand on Lance's chest, over his heart.

"Buckle up for tomorrow," Lance says, "I think it's just starting."

Keith closes his eyes shut tight. "Fuck."

Lance yawns. "We'll get there."

"That a promise or a threat?"

"It's a warning." Keith laughs and Lance brings his fingers to his lips, kissing them gently.

 

**

 

_Marry him before he leaves you, grab him and suck him off and tell him you'll be his forever and don't let him go, don't let him drop, he's the piece of yourself you can't lose, he's the keystone, he's the magnet, all points to him, all of him inside all of you, it's the only way you're whole because you're nothing without him. You're nothing._

_Nothing without him._

_Nothing. Not a thing. Not a person or a place or–_

_You're nothing. You aren't–_

_Really._

_Here._

Keith opens his eyes, sitting up straight and clutching his throat, shaking off the dream. He lays his head back down, watches Lance breathe to try and calm himself back to normal.

"I'm here," he whispers into Lance's warm skin, lips kissing the juncture of his neck to taste salt-sweetness.

 _Are you?_ A voice in the dark asks.

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Despite the rolling waves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance continue their conversation. Someone gets hurt. Someone gets a bed thrown on top of them. It all should feel like a very normal day.
> 
> But threads holding everything together are starting to unravel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back. Herein there is: 
> 
> \- Bad Fanfiction Science™  
> \- Angst  
> \- Implied and explicitly referenced sexy shenanigans  
> \- Bed sharks  
> \- Angst  
> \- Terrible made-up porn titles  
> \- Angst  
> \- My stubborn refusal to accept that Shiro and Matt weren't sarcastic troublemaking BFFs at the Garrison  
> \- Hardcore Necking  
> \- Angst
> 
>  
> 
> You have been warned.

**2**

 

 

 

Sleep does eventually come for Keith, and he knows that only when he's woken up the next morning by a low hum coming from beneath him.  He blinks, eyelashes catching on dust and rubs them open. The humming-thrumming continues, and starts to make more sense to him.

"Dun dun, dun dun dun dun," the voice goes.

Keith feels a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Dun dun dun, dun dun!" the blankets shift, and he feels a poke to his side.

"Gonna need a bigger boat," he mumbles.

"Dun dun dun..."

"Gosh, I wonder if there's a bed shark around here?"

"Bed shark attack!" Lance shouts as he raises the blankets up in the air, diving on top of Keith with a laugh and sticking his nose right in the sensitive spot on his shoulder and making Keith laugh harder.

"Oh no, not a bed shark," Keith says, calming down, "what can I possibly do to escape?"

"Nothing!" Lance says lifting his head and flashing Keith rows of pearly white teeth. "The rare and beautiful Varadero Bed Shark preys exclusively on wild Keiths. They have an insatiable appetite, and are never satisfied with just one bite."

Lance lunges forward again, nipping Keith's mouth and pulling him upright, holding his face close as they kiss. Keith is laughing in-between each one, but leans into him, allowing Lance to devour his mouth as much as he likes.

"Okay, get up and dressed," Lance says pulling back and taking all the sheets with him.

Keith whines, falling back against the pillows. "Mmmrgh. Since when are you better at waking up early then me?"

Lance shrugs, "I dunno, maybe since we started housing a war criminal that I trust as far as I can throw?"

"Point."

"I broke two rules last night, and I'm already planning out some day naps to catch up on the sleep I missed, so let's get cracking! You feeling up enough to make an appearance at breakfast?"

"Yeah, yeah I can swing that," Keith says as he slides back up, and starts getting dressed.

"No pressure though," Lance sits on the edge of his bed, "we can come back here if you need to, and if you want to be alone I can always go bother Allura, Hunk, or Pidge."

"That's nice, but it's your room Lance. If I need to be alone I can just go to mine," Keith says.

"Oh, um–"

"Do you know what the code changed to?"

Lance quirks his mouth. "Maybe after breakfast we can figure it out?"

 

**

 

Keith gets a nice feet-off-the-ground-bone-crunching-Hunk-hug the moment he walks back into the dining room. There's some bonus Pidge and Allura hugs on the side which he won't complain about either.

"This can't be the schedule you came up with!" Lance interrupts pointing to a holo floating above the table. It looks like a color-coded arc-shaped schedule bracket, and he sees most of the blocks are yellow.

"Why does Hunk have three straight shifts until Allura takes one? Pidge and I aren't even on here!"

Allura clasps her hands together, "Hunk was kind enough to volunteer to cover so that-"

"No, this is stupid, I'm fixing this," Lance ignores her, waving his fingers so all the filled in spaces clear out, except for the orange and purple edges.

"First of all, Pidge, what do you need the day off for?" Lance snaps his finger and points to her.

"There's an ion storm developing in this quadrant, so I wanted to go take some readings in Green, but I have to reinforce her with some homemade electrostatic dischargers first."

"And you're going to do this after breakfast, right? Immediately get on task and then go zooming off into space, _or_ are you going to lay around for a few vargas, tweak everything and test it all over again?"

Pidge purses her lips, but then relents with a resigned sigh, "Yeah, I'm probably gonna lay around and do nothing first."

"Great, you now have a pointy-eared assistant to annoy you into doing your work," Lance says, and with a flick of his fingers green goes into the first open slot. "Hunk, I'm assuming you are creating a masterpiece for lunch?" Hunk nods. "Welp, Lotor's your sous-chef. Make him wash all the dishes."

"Always do," Hunk smiles, Lance moves a yellow square into the middle.

"Well then, the last two shifts are between me and Allura," Lance pulls up a blue and pink square, rotating between the two of them. "Yesterday you took the later shift, so I'll do it this time," Lance says, moving the pink into place following his own blue.

"Lance we thought we could give you and Keith some time–"

"Allura you made a _face_ yesterday when you took the later shift and you're making that same face right now," Allura puts her face back into a neutral expression. "And it's because you're usually taking coalition calls and planning meetings before dinner. I'm guessing it's really inconvenient to coordinate all that with Prince-complains-alot hanging over your shoulder, trying to tell you you're doing diplomacy wrong."

Allura pulls her mouth back like she's tasting something sour. "He tried to give me advice on my negotiation tactics. I nearly threw him across the room."

"So that frees up your evening, just babysit him in the afternoon and make him watch the mice play around until his heart starts to melt or something," Lance winks, Allura laughs. "And I'll take the last shift because Shiro will be up by then, and I'm willing to relinquish my beloved boyfriend for some training or bro-time or whatever you guys wanna do. Trade pep-talks? Push-up contest?"

"Both. Simultaneously." Keith says.

"I know you're joking but that'd be damn hot," Lance says. "Besides, Keith and I should be done with our _marathon of sex_ by then. I'm assuming that's what the three of you were trying to compensate for?"

"Um," Pidge looks away.

"Well..." Hunk starts.

"Yes, we assumed the two of you wanted as much time for sex as possible," Allura says.

Keith quips back. "It does take us nearly a varga just to set up the swing and the leather handcuffs, but if we skip that, we can make up some time and move right on to the wet t-shirt contest."

Everyone laughs and Lance falls into the chair next to Keith. "That was good."

"You kinda get numb after being harangued for so long about your sexual proclivities by a couple of nosy Blades. Eventually, you either have to stop caring or make stuff up to mess with them."

Lance gasps, clutching his chest, "You mean we're not gonna have a wet t-shirt contest?"

Keith shrugs. "Up to you, nice taking charge there though," he leans closer whisper directly into Lance's ear, "you make a really good second-in-command, y'know? _That_ was damn hot."

Lance flushes and mumbles something into his chest, bringing his arm around Keith to pull him closer. Keith does a little mental victory dance as he slips his hand under the table to squeeze Lance's thigh making him laugh quietly. 

_I want him._

_I need him._

_He's mine, mine, mine._

_Until I throw it all away._  

Keith shakes off the voice, sitting up suddenly and thankfully before Lance notices they're interrupted.

"Number four! Welcome back!" Coran says as he walks in with trays of breakfast goo, Lotor is trailing behind him holding all the flatware with an annoyed look.

Keith smiles and meets Coran halfway for a handshake and clap on the shoulder. They all settle in for breakfast, even Lotor awkwardly takes a seat and serves himself a small amount, making a pained face and glaring at Keith whenever he catches his eyes wandering.

"So," Coran turns to Keith "I suppose you've been appraised of the new rules? Or do you want to review them with me after breakfast?"

"Nah, it's fine. I had to memorize like a hundred rules, laws, practices and codes for the Blade. Four more isn't gonna faze me." 

"So you know all the rules by heart?" Pidge asks, Keith nods. "What's rule 34 in the Blade of Marmora?"

"No masks in the commissary."

"Boring, what's rule 69?" Lance asks.

Keith thinks, then feels a flush when he remembers. "Uhhh, it's a sub-rule of 66 actually."

"What's rule 66?"

"It just about _stuff_ that the leaders or senior members of the Blade are allowed to do."

Lance groans. "Keeeeith. Spit it out."

Keith sighs. "So you know how ship-captains can do stuff?"

"Babe. Say it."

"It's about how they're authorized to perform ceremonial things, okay? Like pronouncements and decrees and they can approve members–or marry people–or remove members and–"

"Hold up, marry people?" Hunk stops him. "So... Kolivan can perform weddings? Lance, did you hear that?" Hunk gives him a sneaky grin and a thumbs up.

"Um, actually I already knew," Lance scratches the back of his neck.

"Then why'd you make me say it out loud!?" Keith shouts.

"I didn't realize that was what you were talking about and I–"

"Did he _volunteer_ his services or something? I am going to punch Hol–"

"How about the rule that says you're allowed to kill me on sight, which one is that again?" Lotor says.

The table goes silent. Keith takes a breath.

"The Monarchist Directive (in full) states that the Blade of Marmora is on standing orders to capture, incapacitate, or kill any member of Zarkon's family or inner circle on sight. However, the specific actions taken are determined by each individual Blade based on the current circumstances, and their own judgement of what the best option is."

Keith pauses before adding, "Also it has been temporarily suspended for the Prodigal, so I'm not allowed to do anything to him... Unless he presents a threat, in which case I can go back to the general rules of combat and engagement in civilian matters. Okay? Any questions?"

"Why do you call him the Prawn-diggle?" Lance asks.

" _Prodigal_ , no one in the Blade actually uses his name."

"Well I'm certain that detachment makes it easier for you and your little _terrorist enclave_ to plan my execution," Lotor says, crossing his arms.

Keith smiles sharply. "You know what? It _does_. It really does help with that, thank you for that insight! I just thought we were being all fancy or pretentious by calling you that, but it really is to reduce you down to an _idea_ instead of a person. Gosh, we're pretty frelling clever, aren't we?"

Lotor sniffs, "Frelling? How quaint, they've taught their little mascot to swear like gutter-trash."

Keith chuffs without so much of a thought, his front teeth bared, as he goes back to his breakfast.

The room is silent again. Keith picks his head up to see all eyes on him with the exception of Lotor, who is staring blankly at the table.

"What?"

"What was _that_?" Pidge asks, excitedly.

"What was what?" Keith shrugs.

"That, that thing you did with the noise and the like–you just shut Lotor _down_! You have to teach me that!" Pidge smiles.

"I am not shut down!" Lotor snaps.

Lance shakes his head. "You were totally shut down, it was like when you smack a shark on the nose. You were all gaping like whaa?"

"Hmph," Lotor turns his head.

"Oh, I thought it was a Blade-thing, I guess it's a Galra thing too? You just kinda show your teeth a little and you chuff some air out. It depends on the context, but I guess it's a sort of warning."

"Warning for what?"

Keith grins. "Talk shit, get hit."

The room erupts in laughter with the exception of Lotor and Keith. Lotor gives him a good sneer which Keith happily returns.

 _Okay, I can deal with this._ Keith thinks. _Everything else..._

_This is easy._

Keith pushes back his plate as the laughter ebbs into general conversation and he finds himself curling up against Lance, head resting on his shoulder.

 

**

 

"So, am I napping first, or are we picking up where we left off last?" Lance asks when they're back in his room.

Keith sighs, "I really wish you hadn't tossed my flask away, why don't you nap and I totally won't go searching for it?"

"Keith!" Lance grabs his shoulders suddenly, "I know this isn't easy, and it's going to take a lot more than one or two conversations to figure it all out because-because–" Lance chokes on his words, head dropping and hands trembling on Keith's shoulders. "I don't wanna say it. I hate saying it."

Keith puts his hands over Lance's, holding them in place, enjoying the pressure, the weight. "I know," he says.

Lance picks up his head, tears falling perfectly down the sides of his cheeks. "You tried to kill yourself, Keith."

Everything zooms outwards.

Keith isn't in his body. He's watching from the outside as two figures crash into one another, slipping to the floor, holding each other tightly. 

 _They must love each other something terrible,_ a voice says.

In a way, it comforts him.

 

**

 

When Keith comes back to himself the first thing he does is reach for Lance. He feels a hand grab back, squeezing tight.

"I'm here."

"Does anyone else know?"

"Just me and Kolivan."

"Holson," Keith adds, "he knows too. He's the reason I got grounded from missions. And sent here."

"I told everyone you were visiting because you were stressed out and needed to relax, so you're on like a Blade-sabbatical or something."

"They believed that?"

"Shiro _almost_ pried it out of me within about 10 minutes of wet puppy eyes. He knows something's up, but I convinced him to let me try first before he digs into you and figures it out."

"Fuck."

"Yeah. So, the conversation from hell continues."

"So it does."

"Are you okay?"

"Sometimes I think I've died. When I was in the ship, I was preparing myself for that to happen. I can't tell if this is real."

"I'm here. I'm real."

"I'm supposed to be dead."

"You're not. You're here, you're safe, and you're with me."

"I was supposed to die because I needed you to live."

"We both can live. This doesn't have to be one or the other."

"When I landed back at the rebel base you were all so happy and alive, and it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I just couldn't understand why I didn't feel as happy and relieved as you all were. What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing is wrong with you. You're processing a trauma. Everything you're feel is valid. If you need to cry or scream or stab something or be alone–"

"No!"

"Or cling to me like a baby koala, that's fine too!" Lance laughs and holds him tighter. "Whatever you need, I'm gonna give you." 

"I want the clinging thing. And no wet sad Shiro-eyes. I don't think I can handle those yet."

"Right? They're the worst."

"Almost as bad as wet sad Hunk-eyes. One time he accidentally stepped on the tail of one of the mice and they ran away screaming. When he turned to me and I saw his face I thought my heart was going to break. I spent the better part of an afternoon half-stuck in a vent trying to coax them out. Because Hunk wanted to apologize to a mouse, Lance."

"I've got one too! I was cleaning up the lounge, and I legit thought I threw away Pidge's picture of Matt because I remembered throwing away something that was like paper, and she couldn't find it. Her _face_ , Keith! It was sad Hunk-eyes plus Allura-lip quivers and I was _not_ okay. I threw on my suit and was about to have Coran launch me out of the garbage chute so I could go Space-dumpster diving, but she found it under her bed at the last minute."

Keith smiles. "Are we really competing for whose seen the worst pain here?"

"Well now we're coming up with the saddest things ever imagined. Because it's actually fun and you're smiling and maybe it's helping?"

"It is."

"Okay, how about if I made Shiro watch _Marley and Me_ and not tell him the dog dies?"

"Savage. But that actually happened."

"What?"

"He didn't talk to Matt for three days. I had to be their go-between. 'Keith, ask Heartless-Holt if he's seen my flight logs?' 'Keith, tell Sniffles-Shirogane they're exactly where he left them.'"

Lance doubles over with laughter, wiping his eyes. "Oh my god, you do the _best_ Shiro impression ever! And that actually sounded a lot like Matt!?"

Keith wraps his arms around his knees. "I have a pretty good ear for voices."

"Got any more?"

"I dunno, _babe_ ," he clicks his tongue like Lance does, shifting his tone to a higher pitch. "Huuu-uuunk, I'm _starvacious_ , whatcha got cookin' buddy? Pidgey-bird, how the hecka-hoo does this thingy work again? I wanna go to the beeeeach. Holy crow, Keith! Can we program the castle to find a space beach?"

"Ho–okay that was scary. We have to figure out how to harness this power for good and not pure evil or pranking everyone."

"Of course."

 

**

 

Keith wakes up alone in Lance's room.  He must have finished his power-napping and gone to his scheduled shift of Lotor-sitting or whatever they call it.

His stomach growls, and Keith reaches into his bag, realizing he's skipped a meal again due to emotional overload and sheer exhaustion. He contemplates his stash of blue stuff and comes up with a plan.

"Hunk!" Keith says, finding him in the lounge with Pidge as they tinker with some kind of device on the table.

"Yeah?" Hunk turns to him, "Oooh, is that Apidaesian royal jelly?"

"Or blue stuff, sure. I'll trade you for whatever's leftover from lunch? Well, I mean I was gonna give you some anyhow, but I want the _good_ leftovers."

Hunk scratches his chin, "You drive a hard bargain, how much are you willing to part with?"

"How much do you want?"

Pidge looks up. "Is this stuff really worth it?"

"Remember when I made terrible space-pancakes but everyone loved the blue syrup? That's what I used."

Pidge's jaw drops. "Give the man whatever he wants, Hunk, I wanted to eat raw spoonfuls of that!"

Hunk stands up, nodding, "I'll fix you a sandwich and you give me however much you're willing to part with," he leaves for the kitchens.

"Yes," Keith says, sliding down on the couch and takes a look at what Pidge is working on.

"They're electrostatic dischargers. My tests with Green worked out, so I'm going to put them in all the Lions in case we need to get closer to the ion storm," Pidge answers his unasked question. "Don't touch."

Keith rolls his head back on the couch. "Whatever Shiro tells you is an exaggeration and–"

"Three communicators, four or five smartphones, numerous console controllers smashed to pieces and one Gamecube full of spiders. I think I'll reserve my right to be cautious," Pidge says counting off on her fingers. "Look with your eyes, not with you hands, is all I'm saying."

The part of Keith that cannot abide being told what to do _twitches._ The lack of food since this morning isn't really helping his decision-making process.

"Like this?" he asks as he lifts a small, yet surprisingly dense black cube off the table. Pidge yelps and grabs for it but he's already jumping over the side of the couch with a laugh, holding it just out of her reach.

"Keith! Give it back now!" Pidge stomps her foot.

"Pidge, will you calm down? It's not like I destroy everything I touch!" Keith says, putting some distance between them and tossing it between his hands. "See? It's fine."

Pidge cocks her head to the side. "Like I said before, your track record would beg to differ. Put it on the ground, _carefully_ , and slide it over to me."

"Oh that's ridiculous like if I try to hand it to you it's just gonna fly off and smash into a million pieces or someth–" Keith gestures with his hand and the box goes flying over his shoulder just as he hears the door open to the lounge. 

He feels his blood run cold at Pidge's expression.

"Ow! By dose!"

Keith slowly turns around.

Lotor is grabbing his face, Lance stands next to him, trying (and failing) not to laugh with his hand over his mouth.

"It ibbint fuddy, Lambce!" Lotor whines, pulling his hand away from where Keith nailed him. His nose is swollen, flushed a dark purple and the bridge looks bent out of shape.

"No, not _fuddy_ at all," Lance covers his mouth again as he dissolves into a fit of laughter.

"Who dib id?" Pidge and Keith exchange looks. 

"Why don't you ask the Luddite in the black?" she mutters.

"It was an accident! And I am not a Luddite, damn it!" Keith snaps, and Lance only starts laughing harder, stumbling back on his feet.

"Youb!" Lotor points at Keith, "I dew id! I told youb all, he woob tribe to kilb bee!" 

"Are the translators malfunctioning?" Shiro asks as he enters the lounge with his oversized mug of pungent Taliensine tea, Keith can smell it. He'd only ever seen Kolivan guzzle it like water in the mornings.

"What's a woob-tribe?" Shiro says.

"Keef ib tribing to kilb bee!" Lotor screeches.

Shiro takes a sip. "Hm? Keith is trying to what–oh wow, that looks painful." Shiro says finally getting a look at Lotor's face. 

Lotor takes a big sniff, trying to clear his airways. "Kill bee! He tribe to kill bee!" he points at Keith again.

Shiro raises his eyebrow and turns to him, face a mask of seriousness. "Keith, tell us the truth. Are you trying to kill bees?"

Lance is on the floor laughing, and even Pidge starts to break down, forgetting her lost tech. Shiro grins behind his mug as he takes another drink.

"You got me," Keith shrugs.

"Well, stop it. You're making Lotor very upset on bee-half of them."

Everyone groans at Shiro's pun, and he just laughs into his mug again. "No dad jokes! New rule!" Lance shouts.

Lotor frowns, touching the bridge of his nose and wincing, "I thig it's bwoken."

Shiro chugs the rest of his tea and claps Lotor on the shoulder. "Let's get you to the med bay, and away from the bee-killer, _Lotorb_."

"Berry fuddy," Lotor says but allows Shiro to guide him away.

Hunk walks past them, holding a sandwich on a plate, which Keith grabs and stuffs in his mouth immediately.

"Did I miss something? I feel like I missed something," Hunk asks.

Pidge smirks. "Luddite-Kogane struck again."

"Literally!" Lance adds. 

"Mmmph!" Keith makes an incredulous noise with his mouth full of delicious sandwich.

 

**

 

Pidge fills Hunk in on the situation as Keith allows him to raid his blue stuff stash. Lance joins Keith on the couch, throwing an arm around him. Keith curls up against his side after he finishes eating and enjoys the background noise of the three of them chatting.

Allura enters the lounge, wringing her hands. "Um, so there's a slight problem. We may need a leadership decision."

Both Lance and Keith look to her. Allura either doesn't notice, or chooses not to comment. 

"Lotor is refusing to use the healing pods. He's convinced that someone–well he's fairly certain that Keith is here purely to assassinate him–so he doesn't want to be unconscious."

"Knock him out and throw him in," Keith mutters quietly just as Lance says:

"So? Knock him on the head and stick him in one."

"It's a bit more complicated, he's citing some of the provisions from the Altean charters of protection, so we cannot sedate him without his permission. And we also cannot refuse him medical treatment."

"So we give him medical treatment," Lance says.

Allura winces. "That's the issue, Coran and I know what would help an Altean, but neither of us know enough about his half-Galra physiology to assist. We may need to go find an actual doctor that knows about Galrans, and quickly."

"Half Galra? Altean? Lotor is _what_?" Keith asks.

"Ah, you weren't here for that Keith," Allura explains, "Lotor claimed half-Altean lineage on his mother's side, and it's proven to be true. That's part of why he was able to be granted refuge under Altean wartime laws."

"Ugh."

Allura smiles. "Yes, I was about as enthused as you are about that particular discovery."

"So back up, what we need is a doctor that knows how to treat Galrans _and_ Alteans," Lance says, Keith can see the wheels turning in his head.

_Holson._

"Well yes, that would be ideal, but I highly doubt that such a doctor exists."

Keith turns to face Lance, "No."

"Yes, Keith call him."

"No, Lance I am _so_ mad at him right now and I can't–"

"Well then I'm calling him," Lance stands up. "Princess, we've got this," he clicks his tongue.

 

**

 

Keith shuffles miserably into the med bay, Lance pushing him along as he chats with Kolivan and Holson over the communicator.

"Yes, it _was_ an accident, Kolivan. No I'm not covering for him? You're too funny!" Lance laughs and picks his head up to face the group that has gathered. "We're gonna have a medic call in, and he's going to instruct us on how to fix this, okay?"

Allura, Shiro, and Coran turn to Lotor. "Whab kind ob bedic?"

"What kind of... one that happens to have expertise in Altean and Galran anatomy," Lance smiles, "and he's a friend of Keith's! So y'know, _Keith_ is really the one doing the outreach here."

"Stop," Keith says quietly.

Lance turns back to the communicator, "What's that? What do you mean 3-D mode? Okay I'm putting it on the floor, second button to the right..."

Lance follows Kolivan's instructions and the communicator spits out three small orbs that float up to hover mid-air. Suddenly they start emitting beams of red light that scan the room and in moments they start projecting images.

A slightly translucent hologram of the interior of the Marmora infirmary projects itself atop the interior of the med bay. Keith recognizes Kolivan and Holson as they appear, full-sized, in Marmora armor and masks.

"Holy crow! Keith, how did we not use this mode?" Lance smacks himself in the head. "We could've been video-chatting on a portable friggin' _Holodeck_ this entire time?"

"You really didn't know about 3-D mode?" Holson asks, "Have you just been–Lords above me, that's why Keith broke three of these! You two were just single fisting it?"

Keith turns on his heel, "And I'm leaving."

"Nope," Lance catches him. Keith sighs, and notices the room is flanked by familiar holograms of senior and high-ranking Blades. Also fully masked, standing at attention with arms behind their backs, watching wordlessly.

(Jaussey breaks formation to wave at him and Keith smiles when Ilonya smacks his hand down almost instantly.)

Kolivan approaches Lotor. "You will have a consultation with the Chief of Medicine of the Blade of Marmora. You will take no more than one varga. This is a one-time exception granted by me, in recognition of your," Kolivan pauses, he's tick-counting, " _help_ with the resistance."

Lotor scoffs. "Ibe rabber die dan absept helb fromb youb tebboribst–"

"It's the pain talking, please ignore him," Allura cuts him off. "We are so grateful to accept your help."

Kolivan nods and steps back. Holson walks forward, taking charge. "Right then, I'll need the most medically proficient one of you to be my hands while I work," Coran steps forward.

"That would be me."

"Great, we'll need a bio-scanner with radiographic imaging, a syringe of analgesic, and one with re-calcifying agent." Coran nods and goes to fetch the tools.

"Hmm. So you're a variable," Holson points at Lotor, "logically, I'll need some controls. Princess, may I ask your assistance?"

She nods and steps forward to stand at Holson's side.

"And I need a Galra control, Keith?"

"Frell," Keith mutters and crosses his arms, as both Shiro and Lance gently shove him to stand next to Allura.

"Keef ib a Galwa?"

"Ehh, slightly," Holson waves his hand back and forth, "he's got a few minor physical traits, the blood's pretty thin."

Lotor rolls his eyes. "I dow belieb ib."

"Okay, bio-scanner! Right here please," Holson points to Lotor's face and Coran aims the scanner. "About three clicks should do it."

Where Coran points, Keith sees layers of skin peel back. First to the muscles, then a layer of veins and tissues, and finally the bones in the center of Lotor's skull.

"Well nothing's broken off, just bent. Your skeleton must have the same composition of an Altean's."

"Eh?"

"They have flexible bones, can you show him Princess?" Allura demonstrates bending her forearm nearly in half and letting it snap back into place like a rubber band. "Isn't it fascinating?"

"Berry," Lotor looks rather queasy.

"Let's do the analgesic locally, right here," Holson points above Lotor's cheek where Coran injects too quickly for him to protest. "We'll do the re-calcifying after you've gotten the bone back to the original position."

"Excellent!" Coran says. "So a simple reset should solve it."

"Well that's where it gets tricky. Can you move the scanner down his arm? Specifically where his reset should be along the wrist?"

"Oh, oh dear," Coran stops where he sees a cluster of bones in Lotor's wrist, increasing the magnification. "That's not right."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Vestigial protractile bones. Most Galra still have them from before we evolved away retractible claws. Keith has them too, see?"

Coran grabs his arm before he realizes it, and aims the scanner on Keith's wrist showing a similar cluster of small bones.

Keith pulls his hand back quickly. "I have _what_?"

"Lorbs. He ib a Galwa."

"Oh they're completely vestigial and harmless, Keith," Holson says, "you just have some extra bones in your wrists. We all do," Holson gestures to his fellow Blades.

"I have extra bones in my wrist and _how_ is that harmless?"

"If anything it's beneficial, you're able to do more with your wrist without tiring because of the extra muscles and tissues."

"Oh my god that actually explains a lot," Lance says, Keith slaps his hand over his mouth.

"Shut. Up."

"No, it does," Shiro says, "You never got tired of the long-range flight simulators, meanwhile I had to wear a brace to avoid carpal tunnel, that is crazy!"

"Yes, and that's totally what I was thinking too," Lance says.

"Sure it was."

"Well I was thinking he was using it to masturbate longer, but I guess that was just me?" Allura shrugs.

"No way, that's what I was thinking!" Holson exclaims, then clears his throat at the disapproving sound Kolivan makes. "Anyway, we have to figure out if he has a reset somewhere else, or if it's buried beneath the cluster."

"A reset?" Shiro asks.

Holson nods. "When Alteans use their abilities to shift back and forth, they unconsciously flex a muscle in their wrist to reset back to their original shape. If we activate it with a bit of pressure, it should allow the bent bone to resume it's natural shape without surgical intervention. But I've never seen a true hybrid Galra-Altean, only read about them. The Altean 'reset' muscle tended to shift around the arm because of the Galran bone cluster, according to most reports I found."

"Got it!" Coran says, pointing to where he's aimed the scanner on Lotor's hand, just below his middle digit. "Or, is that–?"

"Can we see your other hand?" Holson asks, and Lotor obliges. Coran and Holson flip back and forth between his two hands.

"Yeah, I see it too. One of those is the muscle for cranial kinesis, the other is the reset. They look identical."

"Crabial kibesis?"

"Unhinging your jaw. I mean you've all heard the old saying, 'hungrier then an Altean with their jaw unhinged', right?" Coran says with a laugh.

Lance gasps. "You can unhinge your jaw?" he stares at Allura.

"Of course, how else am I supposed to eat something bigger than my head?" she says.

"I unhinge my jaw every night before bed to make sure I've cleaned out my mouth of any food particles. Nothing like a refreshing jaw floss!"

Lotor looks like he just got smacked in the face all over again.

"So, how would you tell which is which?" Shiro says.

"The reset is usually opposite your dominant hand. Which one do you prefer?" Holson asks.

Lotor shakes his head. "I dobe habe one."

"Seriously?" Holson says, turning to Keith, " _Both_ of you are ambidextrous?"

"I geb ib, Keef anb I hab boor in cobbon den we seemb."

"Keith and I have more in common then we seem," Shiro translates, catching Keith's eye.

"I don't care, I wasn't trying to assassinate you and if you weren't so damn paranoid–" Lance covers his mouth this time.

"Please ignore him. He's still cranky because the sandwich hasn't hit his blood sugar yet."

Holson shrugs. "We just have to try one, and if it's wrong, then the other will reset it anyhow."

Lotor opens his mouth to protest but Coran is already pinching his right hand.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Lotor shouts, there's a horrible cracking sound as his face starts to rearrange itself. "Ow! That really hurts! Wait, is it fixed?"

"Re-calcifying agent right here," Holson points to his other cheek which Coran injects, "and you're good to go. The bruising should fade soon."

"Thank the Lords," Lotor drops off the exam table. He pauses, appraising Holson and the Blades surrounding the room. "And thank you, for putting aside your terrorist ways to help one in need."

"Well for a fascist whose generals forced me to watch the execution of my family when I was a child... you know I don't actually have a point beyond that. You're fascist scum and I hate you. Leave now."

"Gladly," Lotor says and Shiro follows him out of the med bay, waving goodbye to the room.

All the rest of the Blades seem to relax, breaking off into their smaller groups to chat. Holson pulls back his hood and vanishes his mask.

"That... was really frelling difficult. Okay, I meant what I said, everyone out, go," he starts shooing the other Blades away. 

Keith nods as they all leave. Holson is thanking Allura and Coran for their help and Keith moves to leave as well when Lance grabs him.

"Sorry babe, I made a promise," he half carries Keith to the center of the room where Holson is standing, he and the others make haste leaving them alone and shutting the door.

"Please don't turn off the communicator!" Holson says right before Keith can bend down, he pauses, " _or_ stomp on it 12 times?"

"Fine."

"I don't want an apology."

"I wasn't offering one."

Holson closes his eyes in a slow, tired blink. "Are the auditory hallucinations still happening?" he asks quietly.

_Tell him no. Tell him fuck off. Tell him nothing. You're nothing. You have too many bones in your wrist._

"Yes."

"Do I need to tell someone to keep you grounded?"

"If Kolivan knows, Lance knows. And he'll stop me from throwing myself into a Lion and flying into a sun or something, if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm allowed to be worried about my friend."

_What friends? Nothings don't have friends._

"Thought I was getting at least a week–a movement before you re-evaluated me?"

"This isn't me as a medic, this is me as your friend, Keith."

"Well I'll talk to the medic when he calls back, because I'm still pretty damn furious at my friend."

Holson sighs, and then perks up, he ears turning upwards, "So, I'm still your friend?"

Keith chuffs, "Of course you are," he rubs his temples, "Holson, I'm just _mad_ at you, I'm not going to stop being your friend–I'm really bad at this stuff, okay?

"Okay."

"I'm really angry and I have to get it out of my system and I'm probably gonna destroy a bunch of training drones tomorrow in lieu of continuing the conversation with Lance, because if I have to ride another emotional rollercoaster I'm going to start tearing my hair out." Keith kicks his boot against the floor. "It'll help me burn off some of this anger. I hope."

Holson smiles. "Sounds like a plan?"

"Yeah, I'm the picture of emotional stability."

"You'll get there."

Keith curls his arms around himself. "Have you?"

Holson looks down, his usually sunny demeanor changing again. "Some days are better than others. Some are worse. But it's like that for us," Holson worries his thumbnail between his teeth. "Ask any Blade, we're all walking piles of scar tissue. Some of us wear it on the outside too."

Keith half-smiles. "We could start a club. Meet once every movement, sit in a circle and talk about reasons why we shouldn't jump in a shuttle and go flying into a sun?"

"Actually," Holson pauses, "that doesn't sound too terribly impossible?"

Keith laughs bitterly. "Yeah, right. We're gonna start Marmora Anonymous or something."

"Huh?"

"Human reference," Keith waves away, "don't worry about it," he says, sitting on a table and crossing his legs. The flickering image of Holson moves to grab a chair to sit next to him.

It feels easy, familiar to their dynamic whenever Keith would go find Holson in the infirmary to chat with.

"So, how's your wife?"

 

**

 

Keith holds his hand up again, looking at his wrist in the dim light.

"Babe, you really can't tell," Lance says, half muffled by his pillow.

Keith shakes his head. "Doesn't it look thicker?"

Lance mumbles something about other thick things, and he shoots his own hand up in the air.

"Do you need to feel up my wrist again to compare and contrast?"

Keith takes Lance's wrist in his hands, running his fingertips along the ridges and familiar bones.

"I guess it's not obvious or anything."

"Plus, now I know you were cheating at the Garrison. If I had extra bones like you then I could've gone all night too–on the simulators."

Keith lets Lance's hand drop and smack him in the face. "What?" he laughs, "It's true! I would've only used my super-wrist powers for that."

"And?"

"Okay so maybe just one marathon weekend jacking it to my all-time favorite porn 'Feisty Half-Asians with Mullets: Volume 9'."

Keith reaches behind his head for a pillow to smack Lance with, he laughs trying to block the onslaught.

"Joking! I'm joking, Keith!" Keith pauses but doesn't put the pillow back, he _knows_ that look.

"They only went up to Volume 6."

"I am going to–! Ooh!" Keith resumes throwing pillows at Lance's head until they're all on the floor and Lance is crying uncle.

"C'mon, that was a little funny."

"Mrgh," Keith growls.

"Admit it, you're smiling, I can tell," Lance hums.

Keith rolls his eyes and finally breaks with a laugh. "Okay, that was pretty funny."

"Yeah, so what would your favorite porn be? 'Sultry Cuban Studs with Legs for Days'?"

"Uh, I never really watched a lot of porn?" he ducks a retaliation pillow. "What? It's just not my thing!"

"Here I am, baring my soul to you."

"Wait, so you actually _did_ watch Asian porn?"

Lance is slightly flushed, "Okay maybe once, one of the guys at the Garrison had this bootleg parody film, I think it was 'Mulan-a-trois' or some other terrible pun. It wasn't very historically accurate, but it had some decent musical numbers."

"Did it make a man out of you?"

Lance barks with laughter, cupping Keith's chin in his hand. "Look at you, my clever little prude boyfriend who's oh-so-innocent and has never filthied his eyes with... smuttery? Is that a word?"

"Just because I didn't _watch_ porn."

Lance gasps. "Do tell! Was it magazines? Online stuff? Harlequin novels? Erotic fanfiction? Oh god, was it weird fetishy anime catboys? Not that I'm judging you, because that _can_ be kinda sexy if it's done in a classy way."

Keith throws the blanket over Lance's head. "If you keep that up, I'm never telling you." Lance pulls it down and beams at him.

"I'm gonna have to make sure whenever we get back to Earth, I raid your old shack and check under the bed for the good stuff."

"That's not where I kept–" Keith claps his hand over his mouth, but it's too late.

"Keith! Spill it! Where did you hide your spank-stash? Or was it all in plain sight, like if we rearranged your cork boards, would they look like a giant dick from far away?"

"Okay, you're way too wound up, I'm dumping the mattress on you," Keith says shoving Lance off the bed to land on the pillows that have fallen on the floor. He's still laughing, and Keith tosses all the blankets and sheets on him before grabbing the edge of the mattress, ready to flip it.

"Wait! Wait, just one final guess!"

Keith pauses.

"So nothing under the bed, no dirty magazines or photos–ooh. I bet you had a drawer full of toys though, right?"

Keith sighs. "Yeah, I did," and he flips the mattress on top of Lance, muffling his triumphant shout.

Lance eventually calms down from laughing too much, pushing the mattress back onto his bed, and Keith joins him in the pile of bedding on the floor.

"There was a picture though, in my drawer," Keith bites his lip, "from when I was still at the Garrison."

"Oh?" Lance says, wrapping himself in a blanket.

"Yeah, there was this really cute cargo pilot, Shiro got a picture of us together and I printed it out."

Lance clutches his chest. "Keith..."

"Trevor Stephens, gosh he was hot. Caucasian dude, big brown eyes, blond hair. Did you know him back in your classes?" Keith falls back as Lance jumps on him.

"Keith! I am going to get you!"

"Why?" Keith laughs, defending himself.

"Trevor? The guy with the personality of a white bread mayonnaise sandwich and glass of milk on the side? He once told me salt was too _salty_. I thought you had better taste!"

"He was easy on the eyes and I was bored one day. Don't worry, he wasn't really hauling too much cargo, if you know what I mean."

Lance pauses. "Wait, seriously? You hooked up with him?"

"Barely, he was way too wasted or high or something the night I asked him over. He couldn't even, ah geez, get anything started," Keith feels a wave of secondhand embarrassment as he remembers.

"It was _really_ sad, he kept insisting he was a grower. I got annoyed and started working on an essay while he passed out on my floor with his hands down his pants. I had Shiro help me drag him back to his dorm and we left him like that outside his door."

"Damn, if only I wasn't so utterly convinced you were my rival, I would have invited you over for Asian porn and big dicks that don't need disclaimers," Lance wiggles his eyebrows knowingly.

"No, but maybe some instructions would have been helpful?" Keith mumbles.

"Instructions?"

"Yes, for uncultured guys like me that hadn't seen an uncut cock outside of 8th grade health class?" Keith groans remembering the first time they got intimate in a storage closet on the ship.

"Aww, it was cute!"

"Lance, I had a panic attack because I literally had no idea what the hell to do with your foreskin."

"Cutest panic attack ever. And I showed you the way, didn't I?"

"I had you put on the condom for the first month because I was terrified my hand was gonna slip from the lube, yank it off by accident and you'd dump me."

"Well how was I supposed to know it'd be such a culture shock? Being circumcised just isn't a _thing_ in Cuba, unless you're religious. And technically, you're the first American I ever hooked up with. Only reason I didn't have a similar freak-out was because... porn."

"And we've come full circle. Thank you, Lance."

"Thank you, 'Feisty Half-Asians With Mullets: Volumes 1-6' you mean. And the follow-up, 'Feisty Half-Asians With Mullets: In Space' currently still in production, but I hear good things," Lance laughs.

Keith ignores the urge to smack him with a pillow, instead taking Lance's hand in his, weaving their fingers together. "I mean I got over it. In fact, I'm pretty fond of it now," Keith bites his bottom lip.

Lance moves closer to wrap Keith up in his blanket and cuddle him. "And here I thought the sexiest thing about me were these leeeegs," Lance accentuates by kicking his legs in the air.

"Nah, just your dick."

"Babe seriously. The sweet talk? It's too much for me, I'm drowning in pink hearts and fuzzy-wuzzy teddy bears here."

He hums, leaning in close to whisper along the shell of Lance's ear.

"That photo I told you about? It's _real_ , and it's still in the drawer because _you're_ in it," Lance gasps, Keith breathes warm down his neck, he can feel gooshflesh beneath his lips.

"You're staring at me in the background. I cut Trevor out of it, but I kept it for the cute mystery guy I wanted to see again," Lance moans, and Keith kisses down the muscles of his neck, stopping to nip at his collarbones. _So lovely._

Another kiss, pulling back Keith scrapes teeth down Lance's throat. _So sexy._

His Adam's apple next, sucking lips over skin and feeling the body holding his tremble. _Never tell him how much you think about licking his neck. He'll never let you stop._

Keith smirks. "How's that for–"

Lance looks at him with heavy lidded eyes, and runs a thumb along Keith's mouth.

"You wreck me, you know?"

_I want you to wreck me, break my body and let my voice burn raw screaming._

_I want to be knit back together in your arms._

Keith kisses Lance softly, and is surprised at the force with which he's kissed back.

_I can have him. Not yet. He's still scared you're going to burn up in his arms._

_How do you–_

_You're still listening to me, aren't you?_

"Keith?"

Keith shakes his head. "I'm listening, sorry. I'm listening, did you say something?"

Lance presses his mouth together. "C'mon, let's put the bed back together and get some rest."

 

**

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Watching as we come undone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A big decision is made, and Keith knows his relationship is stronger than ever.
> 
> But the storm is finally in their sights, and things are coming up over that horizon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, this was supposed to contain actual smut, but I decided it would have broken the flow I was enjoying, so it's coming (heh) next chapter. There's still some very explicit language and implications and all participants are 19/20 in my little pocket dimension headcanon here.
> 
> I don't know if I'll make my self-imposed before Season 5 drops deadline for finishing this series, but it's okay, we'll call it an AU from here on out. :D

 

 

**3**

 

 

 

_So, how's your wife?_

"She's good," Holson says with that starry-eyed look he gets whenever he starts talking about Mixa. "She 'escorted' a team that blew up a military weapons plant the other day. Also she's trying to learn how to knit, and sent me her first attempt at a blanket! Which, unfortunately came apart."

"Came apart? Or was it destroyed because you're way too curious, and once you got your claws into it you wanted to figure out how the stitching worked?"

Holson looks away. "Wow, Keith is it time to go already? Shouldn't you be stomping the comm about 12 times in a rage?"

Keith laughs, "I'm glad she's doing well."

"Can I tell her you said hi?" Keith nods. "Good, good. She doesn't know much else than what she saw after Naxzela, and she keeps asking me about you and Lance. Y'know, _Kayplussell_."

"Yeah? What about us?"

"She found Lance rather charming, so she's trying to get me to ask you to come on a trip with us."

"A trip?"

"Ah, there's this renewal festival on Noboleum that comes around once every few decaphoebs. She's always wanted to steal me away for it, and now she's trying to make it a couples-date because there's one coming up this cycle. Back in her colony, any bonded pairs or trios would go there, and she always loved hearing the stories about it."

"I'm sure Lance would love to go once we sort out–" Keith stops.

"Yeah," Holson scratches the back of his neck, "I know. We'll figure out the details when you're back home with us."

_Home._

 

**

 

 _Home,_ Keith thinks when he wakes up, the lights in Lance's room starting to brighten slowly. An artificial sunrise.

Since when is the Blade base his home? Or would the castle-ship also be his home? He's heard the other paladins say 'Let's go home' after a long mission, referring to it.

Keith feels a little prickle of euphoria running down his chest and making his toes wiggle.

_Homes, Keith. You have more than one place you can call Home. You went from barely having one to having two of them._

_It feels good, doesn't it?_

Keith's reverie is interrupted by a sudden hiss of pain, and muffled curses.

He turns his head, "Lance?"

Lance is lying on his back, grabbing his knee with a pained expression that he drops once he sees Keith looking at him.

"Oh hey, you sleep okay baby?" he says crossing his legs and trying for a casual pose, head leaning on his hand. Keith eyes his leg as it twitches and he frowns.

"Lance, you're getting a Charley horse, aren't you?"

"Mmm!" Lance says through a very pained, tight-lipped smile.

"Get up and walk around already," Keith swings himself over the edge of the bed and pushes Lance, allowing him to leap off and start hopping around.

"Ow, ow ow owww," Lance says with each step, trying to walk off his cramping muscle. Keith sighs.

"Don't you still have those space bananas from Musa-70?"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Lance stretches out his calf, "No, we haven't had a chance to refuel on space-nanners."

Keith raises his eyebrow. "So where are you getting your extra potassium, Mr. I-have-bad-circulation-and-I-spend-too-much-time-in-zero-G?"

"Ehhh," Lance shrugs, "food goo?"

"That's never been enough and you know it. We bought you two crates last time!"

"Half turned bad before I could get them in cold storage!"

"So? You told me it wasn't a problem if they started to turn since you'd cook them like those, what did you call them, murder-o's?"

Lance laughs, " _Maduros_ , Keith. I tried but they came out really terrible."

"Sorry," Keith says, "I just–"

"See, I'd really need space-plantains for those, or real ones would be even better," Lance lifts his leg up, knee against his chest, and holds it there with his arms, squeezing to try and get his blood flowing again. "I can cook decent ones, but they'd never be as good as my Pops' can make back home."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, that's what we're gonna have when I take you home to meet them," Lance winks, "I'm gonna get him to make a huge plate of maduros, and Mom's garlic bread on the side with Grandma's tomato sauce, and then we'll feast until we go into a food coma."

Keith smiles. _Three homes. Four homes, if you count your old place. You have so many homes now._

_So, why aren't you happy?_

Keith coughs, "Um, so when you're feeling better, breakfast?"

Lance releases his leg, flexing his foot carefully. "Yeah, sounds good. Got any plans today?"

"I'm gonna stab a bunch of training drones until I stop feeling like I wanna stomp on someone's face 12 times."

"Fun! Can I watch?"

 

**

 

Keith tapes his hands slowly, the motions relaxing him and helping him focus, one hand over another. He pulls them tight, flexing his fingers and slipping on his gloves next. He picks up his blade, the short sword, and two of his throwing daggers.

He breathes in deep, looking at the training drones and letting his eyes slip shut. "Begin training sequence: Red."

When he opens his eyes the drone is already inches away from his face, the short sword piercing through the bot's chest. Keith smiles.

He hears a whistle to his left and turns. "Good instincts baby! Whoo!" Lance cheers from the sidelines. He gives him a nod and throws off the first drone so the next two can attack.

 

**

 

First break for water and a generous towel off from Lance, Pidge stops by to chat with them.

"Any news on the ion storm?" Lance asks, ruffling Keith's hair absently.

"I'm still gathering data," Pidge says, but there's a waver in her voice. Lance must pick up on it too.

"Pidge?"

"Just, this morning was kinda weird..." she trails off, not meeting Keith's gaze. 

Keith goes back to his program while Lance and Pidge talk quietly in a corner.

 

**

 

Hunk stops by with lunch for the both of them midday. Keith doesn't stop right away, finishing off the last drone with a flourish and jogs over to the sidelines. Lance is already eating his lunch, listening to Hunk as he goes on about something troublesome. Keith can tell from his closed off body-language.

"I don't know, have you noticed anything different?" Hunk asks.

"I mean, I've been here all morning, so I wouldn't really have had a chance yet?" Lance says. Keith doesn't want to intrude, or at least is too hungry to care to ask them to catch him up and instead grabs his plate.

"Just, keep an eye out, it's subtle at first, but then plain _weird_." Hunk excuses himself. Keith stuffs his face and then nearly collapses on Lance's side, catching his breath. Lance kisses the top of his head and Keith nuzzles closer.

"Feeling better?"

"A bit, yeah," Keith says. "Still want to get a few more in, I think. Did you tell Hunk to get you some more potassium stuff?"

"Yeah, yeah don't worry about me baby, I'm a responsible now," Lance kisses his temple and grins.

"A responsible what?"

"Ehh, still figuring that out," Lance says, pinching Keith's ass and making him jump so that he can steal a bite from his plate.

 

**

 

One moment it's Lance at the sidelines, and then the next he disappears and is seemingly replaced by Allura, the mice sitting politely by her side while she worries over a data pad. Keith pauses for another water break, jogging over to her.

"Lance is off Lotor-sitting?" Keith asks between gulps of water.

Allura picks up her head, "Yes, oh yes he's watching him."

"Everything okay?" Keith watches as Allura's mice start squeaking furiously at her, pulling her sleeves for attention.

"Oh please, it wasn't a terrible conversation just––rather strange?" Allura says patting the little blue mouse to placate them. "Go get some food, you'll feel better," she shoos them off.

"Okay, what is going on? Everyone keeps talking about something weird happening, and now the mice know something's up," Keith says, crumpling the empty water pouch. "I'm not an idiot, it's obviously something weird going on with _Lotor_ , so just say it already."

Allura sighs, "Lotor has been acting a bit odd today."

"How so?"

"He's been... very polite." Allura twiddles her fingers. "It's disconcerting."

 

**

 

"Considerate," Pidge says when Keith comes to question her in the Green lion's hangar. "He just held my toolbox without asking and offered to hand me things while I worked on stuff." Pidge glances over her shoulder at him. "If you touch my soundwave spanner I will straight up murder you, loom-smasher-Kogane, you have no idea how difficult that was to find."

Keith puts both his hands in the air. "I am touching _nothing_ , see?"

Pidge narrows her eyes. "Right, well it was unsettling and he's obviously up to no good, I just don't know what."

 

**

 

"He was making jokes with me, not _at_ me, _with_ me," Hunk says, shaking his head when Keith finds him in the kitchen, feeding the mice. "And they were actually funny!"

"Frell," Keith says, handing one of the mice a t'raaltixx-cracker, broken in half. They squeak in appreciation.

"It was really uncomfortable. I almost confronted him about it, but he _apologized_ to me before I could. Saying he's sorry he's been such a pain lately, but in his own pretentious Galra-Prince language, y'know? I didn't know what to do but accept it and then he _smiled_. I mean it was a smile like he just found out Bambi's mom dies but–does that make sense?"

"Evil Disney villain smile? Yeah that does," Keith stands up. "I think I need a nap. Do you know what the default door codes reset to?"

"Oh, try the new failsafe, it's 2-4-2-6," Hunk chuckles, "B-I-B-O all spelled out, ahh you had to be there."

Keith nods as he exits, "Thanks, Hunk. I haven't been able to get into my old room," he says as he leaves the kitchen.

He doesn't see the look of realization and panic on Hunk's face.

 

**

 

"Keith! Wait!" Hunk yells down the hall of the dormitories. "Gosh, you're fast," he says when he finally catches up to him just outside the door to his room.

"Hunk?" Keith turns. "Are you okay?"

"I have... to tell you... oh my god you're so much _faster_ now, how is that possible?"

"Sprint-training," Keith knits his brow, "why did you stop me? Oh, hey Shiro," Keith says as he sees him approaching.

"Keith, Hunk, are you okay?" Shiro asks, he's got another oversized mug of tea.

"Keith's... going into his room... Not Lance's..." Hunk explains. Shiro's eyes go wide and he starts coughing on his tea.

"Yeah, I really wanted to take a nap, and I'm all sweaty and gross from training so I'm just gonna duck in here for a–"

"No!" both Hunk and Shiro shout at the same time, grabbing his hand away from the door panel.

"Guys, I literally don't care if it's dusty or whatever, I don't want to mess up his stuff so I'll just be there for a bit until Lance is back and–"

"Lance!" Shiro coughs, thumping his chest. "He'll be back! He's–I'm just gonna go find him–far far away from here–relieve him and you should go wait for him next door! He will be Lotor-free, and all yours, and you two can go back to... ugh. Doing _it_."

"Go back to... what do you think we've been doing?" Keith crosses his arms.

"You know, your long conversations, the ones that you fall asleep after and skip meals because you're exhausted? Keith, we're not dumb," Hunk says.

Shiro nods, "I mean you two have been apart for a while, so you're enjoying yourself. Yourselves. Whatever, I promise I'm not judging––but I am glad you took a bit of a break today. Anyway, you can just go, um, take a shower and do stretches for a bit while I get Lance for you?"

"Wow. I am not having this conversation, hey!" Hunk is smacks his hand away from the panel again.

"No! You can't!"

"Hunk! It's _my room_ , I can! What the hell–?"

The door opens.

"What in the name of all the Lords are you three doing yelling outside _my room_ , we are _trying_ to relax!" Lotor shouts.

He's wearing a robe. A red paladin robe.

And red lion slippers.

Towel in his hair.

Face mask on.

Lance peers around the corner, in a matching getup and face mask, eyes going wide when he sees Keith.

Keith remembers screaming and not much else after that.

 

**

 

He wakes up on the floor of the hallway.

"Unngh," he groans. "What happened?"

"Rage blackout," a voice from his left says. It's Pidge, he turns to her lying down in a similar position next to him. "You went at Lotor like an insane spider-monkey with knives. Hunk put you in a sleeper hold."

"He's really, really sorry. He's probably guilt-baking you something fantastic right now with all your blue stuff and that horrid tannot root you were carrying," the voice to his right says. Keith turns to look at Lance and frowns.

"Hey," Lance smiles weakly and waves. "So um, Pidge and I were just keeping you company until you woke up," Keith starts checking his pockets, they feel lighter. "And don't panic, I'm the one that disarmed you while you were out. Most of your weapons are safe and locked up in the castle vault."

"My _knife_?" Keith's voice breaks a little.

Lance quickly hands the Marmora Blade to him. "The only exception, I fought hard for it. We had to promise Lotor you'd only have this one weapon from now on, he threw a pretty big fit."

"Not as big as he could have though, right?" Pidge says, sitting up cross-legged.

Lance sits up as well, waving his arms excitedly. "Yes! Exactly, I mean there was dramatic hair flipping, but it was pretty tame compared to the others?"

"He's gotta be playing some kind of long con here," Pidge folds her arms, thinking. 

Lance snaps his fingers, "We should check the security tapes from today!"

Keith breathes through his nose, interrupting them as he sits up to face Lance and points at him with his blade. "When exactly were you going to tell me you gave _my room_ away?"

Pidge stands up, dusting herself off. "I'm gonna go look over security footage. You two go enjoy your, _conversation_ ," she says backing away.

Keith sighs. "Oh my god. I really do need to have a serious conversation with you about multiple things," Lance offers him a hand to pull him off the floor.

"I know baby, let's go talk."

"Talk safe! Wear a condom!" Pidge shouts down the hallway and Keith glares at her.

 

**

 

"I don't know what I'm more angry about," Keith says, pacing back and forth across Lance's room. "The fact that you gave away my room to Lotor, and yes it does make sense to keep him close, but c'mon you could have stuffed him in the supply closet and achieved the same effect."

"That's what I said! But I was out-voted," Lance huffs.

"So yeah, that's pissing me off. Or how about the fact that I find this out while you and Lotor are having a frelling spa day!? Or whatever the hell that was."

Lance hangs his shoulders. "Okay, I don't have any excuses other than that once the mask dries he has trouble talking, so I started doing them on purpose. Then it just became a really easy way to pass the time, de-stress, and get my skincare routine done so I'd have more flexibility with my nights."

Keith raises an eyebrow.

"And I need that flexibility for coalition meetings, intel gathering and strategizing, on top of scheduling video calls with my long-distance boyfriend. What the heck else do you think I'm getting up to?"

"Same thing I've been getting up to. _Nothing_. I wish you would show me some of that alleged night flexibility."

"Keith!"

"Oh no–here's the _best_ thing–I find out that everyone thinks that I'm nearly passing out from having Olympic-calibre sex marathons every day and night! Which is just great, seeing how we haven't had _any_ sex since I got back! So I've gotten literally nothing to show for gaining this reputation as some kind of fainting sex-goat?"

Lance slaps his hand over his mouth.

"It's not funny."

"Nope," Lance squeaks, holding his sides.

"You're literally picturing me falling over and making goat noises post-coitus, aren't you?"

"Mmmph!" Lance shakes his head, hand firmly clamped over his mouth again.

"You do realize that makes you a goat-fucker in this scenario, right?"

"Mmm hmm," Lance nods, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"Just let it out, okay?" Lance doesn't even wait for Keith to finish the sentence before he collapses on the bed, laughing himself silly into a pillow. Keith sits down next to him, and leans his head back against the wall, thumping it gently.

"Okay, okay," Lance wipes his eyes, composing himself. "Okay, what can we do to solve this?"

"Move Lotor's room into an airlock, knock down that wall, and fuck like rabbits in our new double-room?"

"Aren't those kind of mutually exclusive things?"

"No," Keith says. Lance leans over and kisses him. Keith melts a bit into his mouth and relaxes, sliding down to lay beside Lance on the bed, their legs tangling up and kisses getting deeper.

"Wait, you really wanna knock down that wall?" Lance asks.

"Are you suggesting banging me really hard against it to weaken the foundation? Because _yes_ ," Keith smashes his mouth back against Lance's, making sure his lip catches teeth and groans.

"No," Lance laughs, "I was being serious, because, mmm."

Keith starts moving his hands down to pull at Lance's shirt so he can get his mouth on his neck, and he inhales. God, Lance smells so good and clean and–

"Damn, I forgot to take a shower, I'm probably still rank," Keith wonders out loud, he eyes Lance for a reaction.

"What? I'm not saying anything," he darts his eyes away.

"So I don't smell like a gym sock?"

"You smell like you've been punching things for like ten vargas straight, which is okay! At least you don't actually smell like a fainting goat?" Keith gently smacks Lance on the chest with a laugh.

"Let's hit pause for a minute, okay?" he hops off the bed, shedding clothes as quickly as he can and starts up Lance's shower.

"Hey, so can I finish the thought I was having before you shut me down and suck my brains out through my cock?" Lance asks, perching himself on the edge of the bathroom counter.

Keith pokes his head out of the shower. "Aw, you know me so _well_. Go ahead?" he says, returning to the spray of water, letting it wash away the grime and sweat.

Lance clears his throat. "Um, if we knocked down the wall, made it one big bedroom, you'd want that?"

"'Course."

"You wouldn't have anywhere to go to be alone though, what about that?"

Keith pauses. "You've always given me space whenever I needed it. Galaxies, even."

"Point taken," Lance takes a deep breath. Keith can see him nervously tapping the countertop. "But the way you phrased it, I just started thinking. Like, you were telling me you don't need a space that's just yours?"

"No," Keith shakes his head, the water runs down his body, his face, "I don't think I do. Not anymore."

"So this would be ours?" Lance swallows and Keith slowly turns off the water. "Our room?"

Keith touches the towel on the rack, just feeling the material and stands still in the middle of the shower. He watches as the water runs a course down his legs, through his toes, swirling around the drain before vanishing. "Is that okay?"

"Of course it's okay! Keith! I'm just kind of reeling here because my boyfriend just told me he wants to move in with me," Lance claps his hands together. "And I'm saying yes! And it's really, _really_ good."

Keith wraps the towel around his waist, sliding open the shower door. "Wow, I didn't even think of it like that? I guess I have to pack my things and move in," Keith picks his toothbrush off the sink counter and puts it in the cup with Lance's, "And done. Whew, that was hard."

"I'll find you a weapons rack or something for your knives," Lance is beaming as he threads fingers in Keith's damp hair and kisses him, pulling back with a laugh. "Sorry! I'm just–I'm really happy. I've got all this energy in my hands and this bubbly thing in my stomach. I just kind of want to spin you around and dip you Ginger Rogers-style, but I'm scared I'll drop you because I'm all over the place right now."

Keith laughs, returning Lance's smile, "Only one way to find out–ooh!" Keith shouts as Lance lifts him and spins him around in the air. He lands and Lance leans over him, dipping him low to the ground and kissing him, then smoothly pulls him back up.

Lance smiles, "So, are you all tired out from punching things or..."

"Hm. It sounds like your brains are still working. Clearly, they need to be sucked out."

Lance laughs and carries Keith over to the bed, kissing him again. "I love you, I love you so much," he says in-between.

"Love you, fuck yes, love you too," Keith's towel is swept away and Lance pulls his shirt off, throwing it to the side of the room. Keith runs his fingers over his exposed chest and Lance sighs happily.

"Our bed," Lance muses.

"In our room."

"I want pictures of you and all your Blade friends for my–for our wall."

"Yes! And we can–" Keith is interrupted by a knock on the door. He sighs, falling against Lance's chest. "Damn it!" he shouts.

"Sorry!" Shiro's voice says from the other side. "I know you two are, um, 'talking' but if you can finish the 'conversation', Allura wants everyone to come to the observation deck."

"We aren't-mmph!" Keith shuts Lance's mouth.

"Oh yeah! Yeah we're having a good conversation!" Keith shouts back, annoyance and frustration turning into something playful.

(And maybe something to make Shiro regret interrupting them.)

"Yeah, talk at me _harder_ ," Keith says loudly.

"We are not," Lance says quietly, realizing what he's doing.

"We totally are."

"We are not fake-sex-trolling Shiro!"

"Yeaaaaah! Yeah we are talking _long_ and _hard_!" Keith shouts, banging his hand on the wall. Lance has to bite his fist to stop from laughing again.

"Oh yeah, oh yeah give me that oration! Talk my fucking brains out... Daddy!"

Keith is challenging him, and Lance gives up. He calmly stands, grabs Keith's clothes, hands them to him. Then he turns to the door and shouts. "That's right baby! You listen to Daddy when he speaks!"

Keith holds in a laugh and starts getting dressed, shouting back and forth with Lance the entire time.

"Oh Daddy, harder... topics of conversation!"

"Baby, I'm coming... up with a new subject!"

"Yes Daddy! Say it to me!"

"Robert's Rules of Order, baby!"

"Parliamentary! Give me a point of information! Ooh it's so big!"

"Uhh, fuck I'm running out of stuff," Lance whispers as he ties his shoes.

"I got it," Keith winks. "Oh, oh! Oh! God! Fuck! I'm coming! I'm coming–" Keith throws open the door and nonchalantly changes his tone. "–to the door. What's up Shiro? Lotor?"

Shiro looks pale and completely _done_. Lotor just looks confused.

"Just come to the damn observation deck," Shiro mutters darkly, "I need more tea, you are _killing_ me, Keith."

"Drama queen," Keith says. Lance slips past him, giving him a wink and finger guns.

"What's his problem?" Lotor says as he watches Shiro stomp away with Lance trailing behind. Keith closes the door and starts walking down the hall with Lotor at his side.

"Ah, you know, humans are such prudes, right?" Keith says, channeling his fellow Blades.

"You'd know," Lotor narrows his eyes on Keith.

"Tch. Whatever," he says quickly flashing him just the very top row of his teeth and puffing air out between them. It's a display that usually means _shut up_ , but slightly playful in tone _._

Lotor unconsciously steps back so quickly he nearly stumbles on his feet. Keith reaches out a hand to help him, but he slaps it away. "Stop _doing_ that," Lotor says, trying to compose himself.

"Doing what?"

"I'm not a frell-" Lotor clears his throat, "I'm not a child. Stop _scolding_ me."

"I'm not scolding you, Lotor," Keith almost laughs, "I know adult Galra twice, or three times my age that regularly speak to each other like this. They're the ones that taught me. If I wanted to scold you like a child, I honestly wouldn't know how to."

"I don't care how you and your group behave towards one another. I know crudeness from threats of punishment."

"Well, if that's how you're interpreting it, maybe it's because you _know_ you're doing something wrong so–"

Lotor turns away and runs off to catch up with Shiro, "What the ever! Ugh!" he shouts.

 

**

 

The group is gathered at the glass viewing-windows, Allura even woke Coran up as the ship turns in orbit, the nearby asteroid field moving out of sight.

"We should see it... now!" she says as the ion storm comes into full view.

There's a collective gasp at the sight. Dark swirling clouds, punctuated by colorful flashes of light streaking through the storm. Swirls of dust catching the light, glittering in all the colors of the spectrum. They all stand transfixed by the beauty of it.

"Wow," Keith breathes and feels arms wrapping around his chest, he leans back into the embrace.

"Yeah, wow," Lance agrees, Keith angles his head to kiss his cheek gently.

"How close can we get, Princess?" Shiro asks.

"We're going to maintain this distance, but thanks to Pidge's modifications, our lions should be able to get closer if necessary."

"Why might it be necessary?" Hunk asks.

Lotor scoffs. "It's an ion storm, isn't it obvious?"

Allura ignores him. "There is a nearby planet inhabited by coalition members. We're going to stay close in case it begins to grow, the electrostatic discharge could affect their world. It's too soon to tell with the storm in such a nascent stage."

"It's so beautiful," Lance whispers. "Look at all those colors."

Keith looks at him, transfixed by the sight, Lance looks down at Keith and holds him closer.

"So, the lions can fly closer to the storm, huh?" Lance murmurs.

 

**

 

"I figure we take Red, land on one of those asteroids, right here," Lance says pointing to it on the holo-image from his data pad, "and have ourselves a little space-walk for closer look. Heh, maybe even a picnic."

"Sounds like a plan," Keith says, picking his jacket up off the floor, and hanging it in Lance's closet. 

_It's your closet now too._

He moves it next to Lance's jacket.

_That looks right. Doesn't it?_

_Yes. Yes it does._

"Did you say something?" Lance asks.

"Just thinking out loud, that's all." He crosses the room to the bed, sitting down next to Lance.

"You wanna try tomorrow?"

Keith shrugs. "I guess?"

"You wanna do something else first, right?"

"Mmm, what gives you that idea?" Keith says, idly kicking the data pad to the ground and hearing the telltale smash of technology that crossed his path. "Whoops. Luddite-Kogane strikes again."

Lance leans his head on his hand, "Does somebody want _Daddy's_ attention?"

"Dunno anything about that. Personally, I would like my boyfriend to fuck me until I can't remember my name."

"Well, it would be a shame not to christen _our_ bed."

"We've done plenty of things to this bed. I'd say it's been fairly well-anointed."

"Yeah when it was mine," Lance leans over to kiss him, "now it's _ours_."

"Mmm, and the floor is ours too. And the walls."

"The shower."

"The end-table."

"The, uhhh, we need more furniture."

"We need less decorating discussion and more mmmph!" Keith moans as Lance knocks him flat on the bed with another kiss. Hands running down his body, he closes his eyes and loses himself for a moment.

_It's beautiful._

 

**

 

Keith ignores the beeping sound of his communicator, shoving a pillow over his head. Lance is a much lighter sleeper, and answers. He hears him chatting in a sleepy voice and then his pillow is stolen away.

Lance yawns, "Babe, it's Jaussey, he wants to talk to you," he says handing Keith the communicator and flopping back down on his side of the bed.

"Mm," Keith cracks his eye open. "Whassit?"

" _YOU_ ** _CHUFFED_** _AT THE PRINCE OF THE GALRA EMPIRE ARE YOU INSANE?!_ "

Keith sits up. "Um."

Holson pushes his way into the frame. "I seriously am telling everyone I taught you to chuff. This is so awesome!"

Wolla squishes in next, shoving Jaussey away. "Hi Keith! Is that Cutlass? He's cute with his hair like that!"

" _Lance_! Fix your translators," Lance grumbles as he throws a blanket over his bedhead, turning away from the video.

Jaussey swats them away. "Both of you, back off! Little kit, please tell me you _didn't_."

"Ummm."

"See, he did! And he went into a mild catatonic state, right? Just like you told me?" Holson says from off-screen. Jaussey sighs.

"So? Is that bad?" Keith asks.

"If how he reacted was what you described to Holson? Yeah, it's bad."

"Bad etiquette?"

"Has he started acting really, and I mean near-suspiciously, nice to people?"

"How did you know?"

"He thinks he's in trouble, he's overcompensating."

Keith bites the inside of his mouth. "Shit. He really does think I'm scolding him."

"Keith, you didn't know. It's just the way someone acts when they've had a rough childhood like that, and no one bothered to teach them that adults aren't gonna beat the fur off of them when they chuff over little things."

Keith blinks. "What?!" he and Lance shout, now both sitting up and rapt in attention to Jaussey.

"He's... I mean clearly he's been abused? Holson said he saw the scar tissue from where he's had forcibly broken bones in his arms–"

"It's really hard to break Altean bones," Holson explains, pulling the comm to him. "You'd have to have been held down and use some kind of hyper-cold-freezing chemical to stiffen them before–snap! The age of the scarring, and the growth marks, means it must have happened when he was a child," Holson adds, Jaussey slides back into frame.

"Yes, so I'm guessing he's super jumpy and, well from what you've described it sounds like he doesn't know the difference between adult arguments and whatever adults used to do to him when he misbehaved? He's probably terrified of you."

Keith and Lance look at each other in disbelief.

"So just, stop chuffing at him, okay? He's not like a Blade, we're tough enough to take that kind of stuff and brush it off. Enough of us have been through that or _worse_. So leave him alone, and hopefully he won't detonate and spew all his issues out on you and your friends."

"Yeah, okay," Keith says quietly. Lance nods.

"Now that's taken care of, how are things? You two look nice and well-rested and thoroughly sexually satisfied," Jaussey smiles. "Did someone have a good time with their prostate last night, huh? Did they?"

"Ooh, they're both blooshing! Jauss, can you take a capture?" Wolla says.

 

**

 

"We can't look at him differently today, okay?" Lance whispers before they walk in to breakfast.

Keith nods. "Of course, he can't know we think something's going on."

"Besides, it's only a theory, we're not for sure on anything yet. It's pure speculation from someone light-years away!"

"Absolutely, and a rough childhood isn't an excuse. My childhood was, well you know, _bad_ ," Keith says, rubbing his arm. "It doesn't excuse my behavior. It might explain some of it but um, I'm overthinking things."

"Right, this is a rabbit hole for after breakfast," Lance says, grabbing Keith's hands and kissing his fingertips. Keith laughs.

"So you're saying you're gonna go down that hole later?"

"You!" Lance grins, "Save some of those good ideas, okay?"

Keith winks and they walk into the room.

"Muffins!" Hunk shouts, thrusting an orange and blue marbled muffin in Keith's face "I made you 'I'm sorry I had to put you in a sleeper-hold'-muffins. I used the tannot root Lance gave me for the batter and then the blue stuff I whipped into a curd to drizzle through. They're all marshmallowy and moist and really good! Try!"

Keith takes a bite and moans, it's so sweet and familiar and he nods. "Unf. Oh my god, that's so good. You didn't have to, but you're forever allowed to knock me out if it means I get more of these."

Lance makes a face as he nibbles carefully at one. "Ugh, they're all yours babe. Tannot root, I can _feel_ cavities forming."

"I like sweet stuff."

"You like junk food. I'ma show you real sweet stuff one day when I cook you proper maduros and an orange flan."

"I'll take it," Keith smiles as he and Lance sit in their usual seats. Lotor almost immediately picks his head up, glaring at the two of them.

"W-what?" Keith says, swallowing the last of his muffin. Were they being that obvious?

Lotor sits back in his chair. "Nothing. Just seeing what it actually looks like now."

Lance blinks. "Huh?"

"Now that you've had that infamous 'sex marathon' everyone's been complaining about. Shiro nearly bored me into a coma worrying about you breaking something, or not being able to sit down," Lotor sips his water. "Congratulations, I suppose."

Both Lance and Keith drop their utensils simultaneously.

"Lotor, humans don't really like to discuss things like this at a meal," Allura says with a nervous laugh.

"Ah. Pardon my ignorance," Lotor says.

"Besides, we all know they've just been going at it since Keith got back here, we just don't say it out loud," Pidge winks at them. Lance throws a piece of muffin at her head and she laughs.

Lotor scoffs. "I share a wall with the room in question and my ears can hear over your 'white noise' program. An unfortunate advantage of Galra-level senses with Altean aural curvature," he points to his ears.

"They had not been having sex until last night when the thumping and the moaning started. I almost threw up," he sniffs at his food before taking a dainty bite, "Never thought I would long for the drawn out conversations punctuated by occasional sobbing noises and arguments from before. Those I could sleep through, at the very least."

Keith puts both of his hands flat on the table. "Hunk. Put me in the sleeper hold again," he says carefully.

"Keith?"

"I think I have about three more seconds of calm left in me before I try to asphyxiate him with a muffin."

"Okay, we're leaving," Lance says, standing up and putting himself between Keith and the table.

"Ugh, and here I thought I could try and catch a nap, but if you _must_ have him," Lotor sighs, "I suppose the natural libido of a Galra has passed on to you and conquered that human prudishness."

Keith sees red and black and–

_12 times, his stupid face on the other side of my boot maybe his teeth will snap off._

_I'm tired._

_I'm tired of this._

_I just want my boyfriend and I wanna go home._

_Whatever home, his home, my home._

_Our home._

 

**

 

"Thanks, Hunk," Keith mumbles when he comes to on the couch.

"I'm never gonna stop making you muffins am I?" Hunk says as he sets another tray of them in front of Keith.

"Heh. My evil plan all along," Keith smiles weakly.

Hunk sighs. "Lance told me to tell you that you should talk to Shiro before he hears it from the grapevine."

"The grapevine being Lotor? Because he's purple like a grape?" Hunk laughs.

"Yeah, he didn't tell us much else. Just that you've been dealing with some personal stuff."

"That's one way to put it," Keith says, swinging his legs over the side of the couch, reaching for a muffin.

"But you're going to be okay, right? You talked it all out?"

Keith looks down at his hands, turns the muffin over, and pulls it in half. It smells nice, a little puff of steam escapes, telling him they're freshly baked.

"I honestly have no fucking idea," Keith says, lifting his head and Hunk is at his side, arm around him.

"That's okay," Hunk says, "you don't have to–I'm sorry Keith, I didn't mean to pry."

Keith shakes his head, feels water falling down his cheeks. Great, he must have started crying. "You're not prying. It helps, this helps," Keith holds up the muffin. "It helps to have a reminder that people want me to be okay."

"We do, we all do."

"Lance and I decided we're moving in together, did he tell you?"

"Wait, officially? No way!"

"As official as it gets when I don't technically live here anymore. But for whatever it's worth, yeah we're officially cohabiting in the same space."

"Oh my god, Keith! That's amazing! Also I'm divorcing Lance for not telling me immediately."

"I'll tell Shay you're back on the market."

Hunk chokes on his breath, the tips of his ears turning red.

"Aww," Keith smiles.

"Ch'yeah, you're gonna be fine," Hunk says, "just remember who was there crying into his silverale about Heath Ledger when it's time for the best man toast."

Keith rolls his eyes. "That was you!"

"Oh, right. But if it wasn't for that, you wouldn't have hooked up! So, you're welcome."

"C'mon," Keith stands up, "I wanna watch you divorce Lance loudly and publicly."

"Should I do a fake soap opera again? Like when he ate the last of my Daucus fruitcake and I disowned him?"

"Definitely, I need to see some fake tears and melodrama. That was hilarious."

"Oh no need for fake ones. Between the sleeper holds and the guilt trips, I'm sitting on a good cry right now. I'm a loaded tear-gun, just point me in the right direction," Hunk says as he follows Keith out of the lounge.

 

**

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> TO BE CONTINUED.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Going to try and keep this to 5 chapters, maybe 4? Let's see how well I do with that promise.
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you as always for reading! If you want, my tumblr is [emphasis-all-mine](http://emphasis-all-mine.tumblr.com/) wherein I will occasionally post snippets that I'm fond of or agonize over things. Feel free to ask me things there too. :3
> 
> Also things are going to get smuttier and more explicit as we go on, I'll warn in the notes at the top of the chapters.


End file.
